It came upon the midnight clear

That glorious song of old

From angels bending near the earth

To touch their harps of gold

Peace on the earth, good will to men

From heaven's all gracious king

The world in solemn stillness lay

To hear the angels sing

~ It Came Upon The Midnight Clear ~

‘That's Christmas To Me’ was playing softly in the background as I baked some gingerbread cookies. The first batch was already cooled and ready for the icing.

I hum and diligently decorate the Christmas tree shaped cookie with white and green icing. My mind wanders towards Nathan just like how it always seems to do nowadays.

I missed him already. He had to attend a buisness meeting in the neighbouring town before he got a few days off for Christmas. He's been gone for two days now and we've been speaking every night on the phone. He's due to come home tomorrow, so I'm baking all kinds of treats for him.

I smile foolishly when I recall our date.

I suddenly feel warm arms wrap tight around my waist and pull me to their chest. My eyes widen as my heart races in excitement.

“What's got you smiling so sweetly?”

His deep voice washes warmth all over my body.

I lean back on his chest and lick the icing that got on my finger.

“Oh you know, just thinking about the handsome man I went on a date with.”

I shudder with want when he nips my neck.

“Hm..and who might that be? Should I be worried?”

I finally turn in his embrace and wrap my arms around his neck.

“You should. He's very handsome and he's got me pretty hooked.”

A wide smile crinkles the corners of his brown eyes.

I pull him closer and wrap him in a tight hug.

“You're home early.”

He buries his face in the crook of my neck as he sags in my arms.

“I missed you. Got things wrapped up quickly so I could come back home to you.”

My heart softens at his words. I pull back and he protests before I run my fingertips gently over his jaw. His brown hair is tousled messily and his cheeks are a little pale from the cold and exhaustion.

“You should rest hon. You look exhausted.” I press a light kiss on his nose.

He hums as he places his head back on my shoulder. I run my fingers through his hair and apply a gentle pressure to relax him. He groans softly as he murmurs how good it feels.

“It smells good in this kitchen and you smell of cookies.” He nuzzles my neck and I giggle when his stubble scratches my sensitive skin.

I massage the back of his neck. He shivers as goosebumps break out on his arms.

“I was baking your favourite treats. Thought I'd welcome you with them.”

“Mhm.. certainly tastes like heaven.” His voice sounds muffled and I pull back to see his mouth stuffed with the cookie I was icing. He quickly brushes off the crumbs and gives me an adorable closed lip smile, cheeks puffed out.

I burst out laughing as I press a swift kiss to the corner of his lips shocking the both of us.

“Go change and take a nap. I'll prepare lunch for us.”

He nods and quickly steals another cookie before briskly darting past me.

🍪🥨🍪

I'm garnishing our plated food and humming as per usual when I once again feel arms slip around my waist. He places his chin on my shoulder as he watches what I'm doing.

“Good nap?” I ask absently.

“Hmm..” he sways us to the song playing in the background. I smile to myself in amusement. Nathan was opening up more and more every day and each day he found new ways to make me smile, blush and fall for him even more. Once Nathan broke the wall that was surrounding him, he was quite charming and a surprisingly affectionate husband.

“Hmm..” I mimic him. “What are you doing?” I ask when he keeps rocking us to the music gently.

“Dancing sweetheart.” I gasp when he suddenly turns me to face his grinning face.

I laugh when he twirls me and purposely makes me stumble into his arms. I watch his twinkling brown eyes, thankful that he's happy right now, right here, with me.

He grips my waist tightly in his big hands and my smile drops as my lips part in a silent gasp when he pulls me closer until there's isn't an inch of space between us. My heart races as I become aware of how his long, lean and hard body feels against my soft one.

My cheeks redden when he brushes his lips over them softly.

The song changes to ‘It Came Upon The Midnight Clear’ just when I place my head on his chest.

He sways us to the music as he tenderly holds me in his arms. I recall our wedding dance when he held me just like this but I was too scared and nervous to cherish the moment properly.

“Look at me Stace.” He murmurs and I quickly pull back to meet his gentle brown eyes.

His eyes swirl with so many intense emotions that they leave me breathless for some reason. I never thought a man would look at me the way Nathan is looking at me right now.

“I love your eyes.” He kisses my brow as he tenderly strokes the curve of my waist with his thumb.

My eyes flutter close.

He places his lips near my ear. “Eyes open.”

My eyes slip open as I watch him with a hooded gaze.

“You know when I imagined myself married, I always thought the most romantic thing I could do with my husband was dance in our kitchen while we're cooking.” I whisper, feeling a little silly and shy as I admit this to him.

He smiles.

“This romantic enough for you?”

“Yes. Even better than I imagined.” I reach up to kiss his jaw.

He takes my hand and his lips caress my knuckles, all the while keeping his darkened eyes on me.

“I'm glad.”

I sigh contentedly as he lowers his lips to my forehead. My lips tingle and I wish he'd just kiss me already. If he wouldn't soon, I'm pretty sure I would be taking the first step.

My mind shoots straight to the bedroom as I wonder if the kiss would follow something else. I blush and bury my face in his chest shyly.

Surprisingly, I couldn't wait for that too.

With Nathan, I was learning, that everything slowly but surely turned out pretty perfect.

🍪🥨🍪